THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURYpresented a Bill for Special Services in the Church of England, the object being to le- 756 galise such services under certain circumstances and with certain limitations. It would, he said, be in the recollection of their Lordships that the noble Earl below him (the Earl of Shaftesbury) had shortly previous to the recess introduced to their notice a measure of a similar nature. Now, he (the Archbishop of Canterbury), as well as his right rev. Brethren near him, were unanimously of opinion that the objects which the noble Earl sought by means of that measure to promote were of a character far too important to be abandoned; while they at the same time thought that the mode in which the noble Earl proposed to carry out those objects into effect was open to material objection. Under these circumstances, he had undertaken to submit to their Lordships the Bill to which he now asked them to give a first reading, and by which he hoped the, end which the noble Earl had in view would be attained, while its provisions would not give rise to the same doubt and suspicion upon the part of the clergy, and would not be liable to the same inconveniences—the result of an interference with ecclesiastical discipline—as the Bill which the noble Earl had introduced. He should simply add that it would afford both him and his right rev. Brethren the utmost gratification if the provisions of his Bill should meet with the approval of the noble Earl, and if with his aid they should succeed in securing to the members of the Church of England those increased facilities of operation which the change of circumstances and the increase of population seemed to require.
LORD CAMPBELLsaid, that, being a sincere advocate of the object sought, he would suggest to the noble Earl (the Earl of Shaftesbury) the expediency of postponing for some time the further progress of the Religious Worship Act Amendment Bill, which stood for second reading for Monday next in his name, in order that their Lordships might be afforded an opportunity of examining previously the provisions of the Bill which the most rev. Prelate near him had just submitted to their notice.
§ THE EARL of SHAFTESBURYwas understood to say that in his opinion both Bills might very fairly, and without any inconvenience, stand for second reading for Monday, when they could be discussed together.
LORD CAMPBELLsaid, the interval between that evening and next Monday was 757 too short for the consideration of a subject of such grave importance.
THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURYsaid, that he should, under these circumstances, take care that his Bill should he printed and in their Lordships' hands tomorrow morning.
§ Bill read 1a.
§ House adjourned at a quarter past Six o'clock, till To-morrow, Two o'clock.